Phoenix, Arizona, June
16, 2010—The American Hotel &
Lodging Association (AH&LA) today announced the winners of the
AH&LA
Achievement Awards, part of the annual Stars of the Industry Awards,
which
honor stand-out initiatives at hotel properties. In a ceremony held
during the AH&LA Summer Summit at the Arizona Biltmore, these
awards, which
have been awarded annually since 1966, distinguish individual hotels
that have
developed outstanding programs, events, and campaigns. Winners were
chosen in the categories of Good Earthkeeping, Guest Relations,
Community
Service, Special Events, Diversity, and a new category, Technology.

The winner of the Special
Events, One-Time Only, small
property award, is the Chancellor Hotel on Union Square in
San
Francisco. Through this event, the hotel takes the opportunity to
directly involve the community in giving back. Employees choose a Bay
area family and, along with the neighboring businesses, fulfill their
holiday
wish list. At the event, all proceeds are matched and donated to the
family and a food drive is coordinated and donated.

The Special Events,
One-Time Only,
large property award is presented to the Arizona Biltmore for
their
80th Anniversary Celebration. This one-time event was marked by a
series
of celebrations, including the opening of two additions to the resort,
the
re-enactment of the Key Drop ceremony conducted on the resort’s opening
day in 1929, and a variety of travel package promotions.

The winner of the Special
Events, Ongoing, small property
award, is the Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley, Arizona, for
their
Arts-in-Residence Dinner Series. Inspired by the inn’s artistic
roots as the private residence of renowned cowboy artist Lon Megargee,
the
year-round program brings a diverse array of prominent performing,
visual, and
literary artists to the inn. Hosted by award-winning author Pam Swartz,
guests mingle with the featured artist during a wine reception and enjoy
a
four-course dinner. Although the original concept was launched six
years
ago, the program has been expanded to include demonstration brunches,
lunches,
charitable events, as well as strategic partnerships with arts
organizations
throughout the state.

The Special Events,
Ongoing, large
property award is presented to the Fairmont Scottsdale for
their
National Geographic Explorers Camp. Offered to guests aged 5-12, kids
learn about conservation and the world through activities created
exclusively
for the hotel by National Geographic, including navigating with GPS to
discover
desert creatures, going on a photo safari, or meeting real-life
adventurers. In its first year, the program had more than 1,300
“explorers.”

The award for achievement
in Guest Relations, small property,
goes to the Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Phoenix for their CARE
program, which reflects the hotel’s core values of communication,
accountability, respect, and ethics. More than a decade in the making,
the program is comprised of three components – Guest Intimacy for all
guests, which includes advance calls from the hotel concierge and VIP
codes to
ensure employees have knowledge that empowers them to personalize
visits.
The other two programs - Guest Recognition and Home Away from Home - are
personalized
for repeat guests.

The winner of the Guest
Relations, large property award
is the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in
Nashville.
The hotel welcomes nearly 1 million visitors during November and
December
for the 26-year-old Country Christmas celebration. Because of the huge
entertainment options, size of the crowd, and size of the resort,
information
stations were erected in high traffic areas to provide a personal touch
and
instant information to overwhelmed visitors, improving guest
satisfaction
scores by 10 points.

The winner of the Good
Earthkeeping Award, small
property, is the Hilton Garden Inn in Gatlinburg, Tennessee,
for
their work to become the first state LEED certified hotel. The
hotel’s team began work in late 2007 and opened May 28, 2009, with the
multi-pronged goal to meet owners’ ROI expectations and guests’
service and satisfaction expectations, while trying to achieve
sustainable
goals and LEED certification.

The Good Earthkeeping
Award, large property, went to
the Hilton Grand Vacations Club in Las Vegas for the work of
their R3
Committee, which stands for reduce, reuse, and recycle. The committee,
which is comprised of a volunteer representative from every operations
department, was created to help the hotel achieve Hilton Worldwide’s
sustainability goals. Within the first year, the committee was able to
reduce water consumption by 13 million gallons, natural gas consumption
by
96,000 therms, electrical consumption by 1 million KWH, and reduce waste
disposal to landfill by 125 tons. And they’re awaiting word on
their submission to become the first LEED certified timeshare resort.

The Hilton Grand tied with
the Xanterra Parks &
Resorts in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Most park visitors
and
employees are unaware of how climate change impacts the parks and how
their own
behavior is key to ensuring the parks’ survival. National Park
concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts launched an innovative “For
Future Generations” campaign aimed at raising the awareness of park
guests and employees about climate change. Central to the initiative
was
the opening of a retail store dedicated to interpreting climate change
in parks
featuring educational displays and sustainable product scorecards, which
provides
information on the impact each item has on the environment. The
campaign
also includes an innovative educational display in guest rooms with a
plush
animal toy, an educational brochure and Website on being a green guest
in
national parks. An extensive training program also was developed and
required for all 2,800 employees. Xanterra is now expanding the store
to
its other locations including its operations at Grand Canyon and
Crater Lake.

This year’s award for Outstanding
Community Service,
small property, goes to the Carlyle Suites Hotel & the Savoy
Suites
Hotel in Washington, D.C., for their Serve America & Stay in DC
campaign. Running simultaneously with President Obama’s United We
Serve program, the hotel’s campaign gave guests the opportunity to pay
for 50 percent of their stay with the hours of community service they
donated
to organizations back home. Through this program, contributions in both
dollars and service were made to organizations from Maine to
California.
With the success of that campaign, the hotel launched You Served, Now
Stay
program on Veteran’s Day, giving a 50 percent discount to any active or
retired member of the military.

This year’s award for Outstanding
Community Service,
large property winner is the Hilton El Conquistador Golf &
Tennis
Resort in Tucsonfor the work done on behalf of their
internal Team
Really Matters committee. The committee meets monthly to plan events
and
initiatives through partnerships with almost 30 organizations in the
Southern
Arizona community.

The Prism Award
recognizes creative and innovative
diversity programs that have been integrated into a hotel’s strategic
plan and are making a difference in the overall success of an
operation.
This year’s winner is the Hyatt Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort and Marina
in Cambridge, Maryland, for their partnership with two programs. The
first was with the South Dorchester High School, School of Technology
during
National Groundhog Job Shadow Day, where eight students got to work in
different areas of the hotel. The second is the Mentor Maryland
Program,
designed for children and teens from troubled families, where five
students
have come to work in the hotel’s f&b and rooms divisions.

Winning the newest Stars
award for technology innovations
is the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel for their Link@Sheraton, a new
lounge area
created to help guests remain connected during their stay. In
partnership
with Microsoft, the area offers guests one-of-a-kind networking
opportunities,
coupled with an f&b component.

Many of AH&LA’s
partner state associations choose their own property award winners,
which are
submitted to the association for national judging. Making the decisions
in this year’s competition were Alyssa Prince, senior director of
community
relations, National Restaurant Association; Len Vermillion, editor, Lodging
magazine; and Pat Maher, owner of The Maher
Group,
LLC, and AH&LA’s green consultant.

The Stars of the Industry
awards luncheon was sponsored by
U.S. Foodservices and HD Supply. For more
information on AH&LA’s Stars of the
Industry Awards program and a full list of this year’s property and
employee winners, please visit www.ahla.com/stars.

# # #

Serving the hospitality
industry for a century, AH&LA is the sole national association
representing
all sectors and stakeholders in the lodging industry, including
individual
hotel property members, hotel companies, student and faculty members,
and
industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA
provides
members with national advocacy on Capitol Hill, public relations and
image
management, education, research and information, and other value-added
services
to provide bottom line savings and ensure a positive business climate
for the
lodging industry. Partner state associations provide local
representation and
additional cost-saving benefits to members.